In November of 2009 I was sitting in my therapist’s office (yeah I go to a shrink) when she asked me what I really wanted to do with my life. I told her that I had been thinking about starting a podcast but had been held back my own fear of failure. After a couple of months and some intense therapeutic discussions, I was able to overcome those initial fears. Here’s what I think:
Overcoming fear is all about putting things in perspective. My initial, and still common, fear is that I won’t be successful. Before I began, I first had to figure out what the term “success” meant to me. Am I as successful as Howard Stern? No. But my show is listened to by hundreds of people every week, and to me, that is success. If I let the fear of never becoming some well known radio personality hold me back, then I never would have taken those first steps.
Failure is doing nothing when you really want to do something. It was obvious that I really wanted to do a podcast, but if I was too afraid to take those first steps it was a given that success would never happen. So next, I had to learn that even small steps towards my goal still count.
Finally, I told myself that even though my ambitions were very personal, I was not likely a precedent setter. It was reassuring to know that somebody did it before me and they probably botched a few things along the way too. I don’t know a whole lot about the Wright Brothers but I got a feeling they failed a few times before they got their airborne jalopy to fly.
I’m no expert on this stuff. I’m just some guy that put his reservations aside and decided to see what would happen if he took a chance. For the most part, I’ve overcome that fear of failure, but every now and again it pays me a visit.
Alphonse is the creator and host of AlphonseFM, a popular weekly podcast based in Columbia, South Carolina. Joined by his female co-host and two longtime friends, the show focuses on the everyday life events of four 30-somethings living in the South. It’s honest, irreverent and anonymous.
